GAME OF THE NIGHT -- HAWKS 104 ROCKETS 96
Credit Houston for looking pretty good without its two best players. Terrence Jones (18 points, 8-11 FG, eight rebounds, two assists, three blocks) continued to impress and Jason Terry (21 points) couldn't miss. The Rockets couldn't keep it going for 48 minutes, though.
Atlanta cut into the lead after halftime and outscored Houston 32-15 in the final frame. The Hawks were everywhere, with Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder pushing the pace and creating open shots. The Rockets got nothing in the paint, and the missed jumpers meant Atlanta was able to pull off quite the comeback. KA-KAW!
TROLL OF THE YEAR
A few minutes later, he swished a 3 and did it again:
A 21-3 Atlanta run soon followed. Never anger the Hawks.
BLOWOUTS!
LeBron James was +35 in 26 minutes. Plus-35! He also piled up 27 points in that time, with five assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block. He started the game looking to score almost every time down the floor.
James hit all three of his free throws, if you were wondering.
The Kings' Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore combined for 67 points on 37 shots. None of them played in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Bass led Boston in scoring with 15 points (on 15 shots). Isaiah Thomas was his only teammate in double figures, with 11 (on 13 shots).
Alexey Shved led New York in scoring with 15 points (on 11 shots). Shane Larkin and Jason Smith added 13 apiece. The Knicks' starters shot 8-for-29 from the field for a total of 24 points.
The Celtics shot 35.2 percent from the field. The Knicks shot 36.6 percent.
Cleveland's Kendrick Perkins played the entire fourth quarter and attempted seven shots. He made two of them.
The Cavs have won 12 games in a row at home.
BEHIND THE BRON
Oh, one other thing about James: he passed his former teammate, Ray Allen, to move into 21st place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. He has 24,508 points, and he'll overtake Patrick Ewing (24,815) pretty soon.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
DUNK OF THE NIGHT
That came in a 104-103 Hornets win, which means they're tied with the Nets for the eighth playoff spot in the East.
LINE OF THE NIGHT -- RUDY GOBERT
MEMPHIS NEEDS TO GET HEALTHY
SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENED FOR THE BULLS
Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 8-for-11 from the field. Nikola Mirotic scored a game-high 23 points off the bench. Washington's lost 12 of 15, which, yikes.
BLOCK OF THE NIGHT
THE NUGGETS HAVE A PULSE
MEANWHILE IN MIAMI